France

President Macron

Macron Is Lesser of Evils for Mélenchon Voters

Nick Ottens (Atlantic Sentinel) | Supporters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon who are thinking of sitting out the second round of the French presidential election ought to take a lesson from Bernie Sanders’ supporters in the United States. When they abstained from the 2016 presidential election, or voted for Green party candidate Jill Stein, they made it possible for Donald Trump to win. Just 1.5 out of 136 million Americans voted for…


Nuclear energy in Spain

Labelling Of Nuclear Power As ‘Sustainable’ Under EU Taxonomy Will Benefit France

Scope Ratings ( Thomas Gillet) | The European Commission has started consultations on a draft text for labelling nuclear as a ‘green’ energy source under the EU’s taxonomy for environmentally sustainable activities. If the proposal is approved by the European Parliament and the Council, it would have positive credit implications for France (AA/Stable) given the importance of nuclear in the country’s power mix, climate plan and energy independence. The EU…


President Macron

French Republicans Do Macron A Favor

Nick Ottens (Atlantic Sentinel) | French Republicans have thrown away their two best chances of denying Emmanuel Macron a second term. Party members eliminated Michel Barnier and Xavier Bertrand from the center-right’s presidential primary on Thursday, giving the men 24 and 22 percent support, respectively. The more right-wing Éric Ciotti and Valérie Pécresse qualified for the runoff on Saturday. Neither polls well against the president. Besting Macron Bertrand, the conservative…


Renfe

Renfe Denounces Obstacles In France And Calls For The Same Treatment SNCF Enjoys In Spain

José Alves (Capital Madrid) | France is experiencing a historic moment in its rail industry: the beginning of the end of the national public service monopoly for passenger transport. Since the nationalisation of the network (1937) this has been in the hands of the state-owned SNCF. The government had announced this, as required by the EU, but it will be another three and a half years before the decision taken…


veolia suez

France Leads The Way In Public-Private Partnerships

Henry McCaw | In 2011, France dominated the European PPP market, accounting for 62% of the overall market value. According to the World Bank, this was reflected in the “wave of new ‘social infrastructure’ investments in health, education, defense, transport and urban planning sectors.” In the water sector, France is a global leader in private sector participation, with three French companies, Veolia, Suez and SAUR, dominating on the world stage. The French model of concession agreements in the water sector has increasingly been adopted in developing countries.


Emmanuel Macron

Regional Vote Throws Doubt on Macron’s Reelection Strategy

Nick Ottens (Atlantic Sentinel) | The unexpectedly strong performance of the center-right in France’s regional elections calls Emmanuel Macron’s reelection strategy into question. The liberal incumbent has been leaning to the right expecting he would need their support to defeat the far right’s Marine Le Pen in a presidential runoff. But if the center-right Republicans regroup, Macron risks not even qualifying for the runoff. Relations with the center-right Polls still…


France

France Country Report | Massive Stimulus Measures Will Drive Economic Recovery

Crédito y Caución (Atradius) | In the first quarter of this year, French GDP grew 0.4% quarter- on- quarter, supported by the fact that another nationwide lockdown was held off until April. Growth was mainly driven by investment spending and a modest increase in private consumption. While the growth rate in Q2 will be affected by the comprehensive lockdownmeasures imposed in April, the gradual easing of those restrictions in May…


Emmanuel Macron

Criticism of Macron’s Islam Policy Is Over the Top

The New York Times claims Macron has ordered a “broad government crackdown against Muslim individuals and groups.” The World Socialist Web Site, in a widely retweeted story, accuses Macron of “whipping up … anti-Muslim hysteria.” An American sociologist who researches white supremacists laments that French officials “respond to violent extremism with violent extremism.” What is this “broad crackdown”? Macron’s government has closed a mosque, which was run by a radical imam. A number of arrests have been made. “Anti-Muslim hysteria”? 51 more Islamic organizations are being investigated for alleged extremist sympathies. What about “violent extremism”? There are plans to take away the French passports of 231 foreign-born criminals.


CAF consolidates its position in France with the rehabilitation of 43 trains for Paris

CAF Favourite To Take Over Alstom’s Assets

Spain’s CAF is amongst the investors interested in buying the only factory Alstom has put up for sale in France to meet the conditions imposed by the European Commission on the purchase of the Canadian firm Bombardier. In fact, CAF is the favourite to take over Alstom’s assets. The French unions have positioned themselves in favour of CAF due to the size of the company and their commitment to retaining the entire workforce. That said, CAF will have to compete with Skoda for the factory. 


Jean Castex

France’s Cabinet Reshuffle Signals Shift To More Political Integration At Critical Juncture

Scope Ratings | The appointment of a new prime minister and a shift towards greening the economy could help to restore political integration across government levels over the medium term but reviving the economy remains the key near-term priority. Emmanuelle Macron is facing the multi-faceted challenges of reviving the economy, addressing the climate imperative and resetting his presidency amid declining approval ratings.